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British Labour party members defect over Lebanon

Updated: 29/Aug/2006 17:11

The defections were all from foreign secretary Margaret Beckett’s (picture) constituency.

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LONDON (EJP)--- Thirty-seven Labour Party members defected to the Liberal Democrat Party on Friday in protest at the government’s refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon in July.

The defections were all from Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett’s constituency in Derby South and were response to the way she handled the Middle East crisis.

Derby Labour Party chairman Mohammed Rawail Peeno said his decision to defect was because of “the mishandling of the Lebanon crisis”.

“When Margaret Beckett refused to back a ceasefire and instead sided with George Bush it was the breaking point for us, New Labour have abandoned the beliefs that led me and thousands of others to join Labour in the first place.

“We have now joined the Liberal Democrats, whose policies of respect for international law and good quality public services have support across every community in Britain.”

Out of touch

A spokesman for the Labour Party said that the Foreign Minister had worked hard to attain a ceasefire and it was more about local issues and “ongoing local factors arising from a selection process last year had led to the defections”.

The spokesman said: “It is always disappointing when any members decide to leave the Labour Party”.

“It is important that the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister continue to work hard to achieve a sustainable ceasefire in Lebanon, something we are sure all Labour Party members would unite around.”

Sir Menzies Campbell, the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, said: “These defections in the Foreign Secretary’s own seat are significant. The government’s position on the Middle East and Iraq shows just how out of touch it is with many in its party and the majority of the general public.”

Tony Blair’s stance on the conflict caused dissent within Labour, with some MPs, such as the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, openly speaking out against it.

Record low

This week, a poll showed support for Labour had slumped to a 19-year low, the lowest it has been since Blair took office, with the Conservative Party now with a nine-point lead over Labour, its strongest since 1992.

Tony Blair returned to Downing Street on Friday from his three-week vacation in Barbados to face unrest in his party.

He had put back his break to push for a UN resolution for a ceasefire in Lebanon but still faced criticism within his own party and a number of MPs called for Parliament to be recalled to discuss the crisis in Lebanon.

Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister would be giving a host of speeches in the following weeks and is expected to be focusing on domestic issues and the Middle East crisis. He is expected to visit Israel next month with the aim of a “revival and re-energising” of the road map.

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